THE HOME OF THE GREAT AUK. 457 



to the subject. It was the good fortune of the writer, during the 

 summer of 1887, to visit the favorite resort of the great auk. 



This spot, lying thirty-two miles to the north and east of Cape 

 Freels, Newfoundland, is Funk Island, whose granite sides and 

 outlying reefs form a constant menace to the few vessels navi- 

 gating the adjacent waters. Separated from it by intervals of 

 six hundred and twelve hundred yards are two small, low islets, 

 washed completely over in storms, the three constituting the 

 group known as the Funks, although popularly the plural is 

 often used when speaking of the larger island only. The locality 

 is of considerable interest to the St. John's sealers, from the fact 

 that the vast herds of seals that drift down from the north in the 

 early spring are usually encountered and slain somewhere in this 

 vicinity. 



But to the ornithologist the chief interest of Funk Island will 

 ever lie in its having been the headquarters of the great auk, the 

 number of birds frequenting other localities being insignificant 

 when compared with the feathered legions who dwelt on the 

 granite cliffs of this lonely spot. Should this be doubted, it must 

 be remembered that the work of extermination required more 

 than two centuries of slaughter, while to-day the soil is whitened 

 by the fragments of myriads of egg-shells. 



The writer had long been desirous of procuring some bones of 

 the great auk for the United States National Museum ; and when 

 in the spring of 1887 it was found that the work of the United 

 States Fish Commission would take the schooner Grampus along 

 the eastern coast of Newfoundland, it was decided that she should 

 visit Funk Island, and he was detailed to accompany her. Day- 

 break on the morning of July 22d found the vessel about ten miles 

 distant from the Funks, toward which she was slowly progressing 

 before a light but fortunately favorable wind. But for the dis- 

 tance intervening between the schooner and her destination the 

 weather would have been pronounced simply perfect, for fine 

 weather is by no means common in this latitude, and yet it is 

 essential for landing on this rocky outpost.* The morning wore 

 slowly on, and not until noon was the Grampus near enough for 

 a boat to be lowered and a start made for the shore. 



The plan agreed upon was to take ashore in the first boat all 

 things needful for a stay of several days, so that, a landing once 

 effected, we would not be forced to quit the island by threatening 

 weather, but could remain and prosecute our work, while the 

 schooner sought safer quarters than near the breakers, which in 

 rough weather are found in the vicinity of Funk Island. It was, 

 therefore, with a well-loaded dory that we left the Grampus a mile 



* A short time after our departure a French collector spent some time at the Funks, 

 vainly waiting for an opportunity to laud, and finally departed unsuccessful. 



